Automatically released fuse link stick



July ll, 1950 H. c. HALvoRsoN AUTOMATICALLlY-RELEASED FUSE LINK STICK Filed March 18, 1949 1N VEN TOR.

A rra/Wvg ys tion proceeds.

Patented July 1'1, 1950 UNITED `STKTES 1Q FFICE AUTOMATICALLY vRELEASEDYFUSE STICK .He1mer.C...Halv,-orson, ..s,..;.l.. als.

ApplicationMarch 18, 1949,'SerialNo..z82;1;35

( Cl.I .2.94-1-19-,

3 .Claims- 1 *This invention relates to implements-andsticks -for .installing fuses and .fuse links upon vfuse switches, .connections `to electrical devices, and .circuits lin elevated positions, as for example upon poles, and refers :to -an automatically-released Afuse link stickwhichrI- prefer' to term the 96 fuse stick.

`.The main object of my invention is Ito provide a manually-held means for applying fuse .links Aand which `automatically releases theiuse :involved when installed.

Another object -is to provide a fuse link stick for elevating Aa fuse of a special typertermed a fuse link into position on .a high switch structure zor pole Without danger of the fuse 'becoming accidentally displaced froml the stick while being -raised into position and droppingtothe oor or ground, lmaking it-necessaryior thevlinemanto climb down from the ladder or pole toaplace a Linevv fuse link on thestick.

A further object is'to provide a fusestickof the character indicated ywith means which serves not only to retain the fuse in place during. raising and installation of `the fuse, but .which auto.- matically releases the "latter when installed 'merely by lowering` the flusestick from the oper.-

ating position.

It is also an object to have suchfa `fuse sticgk ywhich is simple inf'form, easy andl Convenientyto use and eiective in operation.

Other objects and .advantages of the linvention vwill appear in` further, detailY as. theespecioa- In order to facilitate ready comprehension -.of this invention for a .proper appreciationof the salient features thereof, the invention is #illus- -trated Yon theaccompanying drawing lforming part hereof, andin which:

Figurel 1 is aside elevation of anautomaticallyreleased fuse link stick made according to the .invention and embodying the same in agpractical form,` the device being shown inoperative sposi tion with the link fuse thereon readyto bef-installed -in position by thestick;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectiontakenlon line 2+2 in VFigure Land largely .formlnsafnothernelevaf tion ofthe -fuse linkstick asseenif'rom iklefright in said 'Figure l;

Figure 3 gis-a vertical section ;'takenyon line ,-3-3, in' Figure 2;

.Figure fi is a transversesection-tekenen line 4:-4 in Figure l;

-ifFeure 5V is aside .elevation smilariozthatfof @Figure .1, lpartly in. section, :to disolose; Constr-1.19- zfitionaldetail.

.to eeeidentsfiorolrng eed Dossi-.ble fatalit1es. Certain makeshift eans have, .-.0f

oourse, v`heen` resorted to .heretofore eed fit flies `'sorneirries -ooeiirred :that the ffrses .Carried voor :saidmeens .herebeen.eeoideniellvedsoloe dropped therefromlbef-ore reaching the :dorm e- ;tion :door :Whieh i .ey :intended to loe :mounted- As'thefdse involredhes :thus dressed :lo thesroorrdli either loeen lost` or. damaged .-f sellos beeofoleeed uoonth .vieefil .d .and .heen reisedintorosition and "motel installed asrorsi'ndlly intended der ...he c-ident. Such loss is case the bloeien the laeeeraor pole-upon .e .iolflolorr is :bei-.Hemsida .esinrl-bofforefloe .een resllme -o-iisiomer. v @Upon .considerinsfthis problem, Yrelaas oocurred .to that.. afspeoiel .l-osel-ink'siioleshodld be .available Wblefllewooldalzli metieellyaprevenff s Y.of-the fuse Whileglo nsfresed-ninto-position installed and whiohfalsowould automatically release fthe fusewlienponce installed Without r,- Ltherimenpulsiion .i es.. o .residing-I have suoeeeded in producing va' 4fuse. .stick las: generally outlined Afivheh willnowfbefmore fullydeserbed.

faHenoe; in :the practice of. my invention, androeferrlns again tothe drawing, iiiseY `linkv stiek,

.generally .indicated at Si, primarily vincludes an elongated .Cylindrical handled of. Wood treatedflo .be moisture proof .andzlighly-dlelectri-c or of rigid i-upona Shoulder `9 ,there-ofa .reduced extension Hl -upon which is mountedatube Il fixed to the L,eist-- tension .rlfby-meansof .va-pin or screw |2. "The upper Eend:- .of; tube. ,1 l f islpreierably. threaded, as i1ic'licaited.-v at- .I 3l in Figure 3,. .with an internally- -atlnrea deci` cap, Idscrewedfthereom or. it `rnayf-fbe :welded or brazedrin position. -f-:Imrrdiatelybelow cap I4 is a pivot pin I5 extending transversely through tube Il upon which is mounted the upper opposite portions I6, I6 of a pendent arcuate member I1.

From the upper arcuate intermediate portion I8, but spaced below pivot pin I5, extends a tubular latch arm I9 and terminates upon its outer end in a iiange 20. Upon the inner threaded end of tubular arm I9 at 2I is screwed a stop nut 22 preferably brazed or welded to the intermediate arcuate portion I8 of channel member I1, and upon the inner surface of the mentioned portion I8 is located a second nut 23 screwed upon the inner extremity of tubular arm I9 so that the latter is held in a fixed projecting position upon channel member I1. From an intermediate portion of the top of hollow arm I9 to the outer ange 20 extends an upwardly-open slot 24 through which extends an upwardly-projecting lug 25 of a latch plunger 26 slidably mounted in tubular arm I9 in such fashion that the plunger is slidable within the limits permitted by slot 24 to the upwardly-extending lug 25. The slot 24 does not actually reach the flange 20, but terminates a very short distance therefrom, at 21, so that the upper smaller loop portion 28 of a link 29 may be seated thereon and located between lug 25 and flange 20 and rest on the tube portion 21 when plunger 26 is disposed in its outermost position. From the upper portion of lug 215 extends an outwardly-projecting latch pin 39 in eiective position to confine the upper portion 28 of fuse link loop 29 between lug 25 and flange 29 on arm I9, the pin being preferably screwed into the lug in order to iix it permanently in position thereon.

In order to control the position of plunger 26 and its lug 25 with respect to the arm I9, the plunger has the outer end of a rod 3| screwed into the threaded bore 32 thereof. The opposite end of rod 3I projects inwardly within channel member I1 through a vertical slot 33 in handle tube II and within the latter extends into an attached pivot member 34 retained upon rod 3| by a set screw 6 and mounted upon the intermediate portion of a second pivot pin 35 extending transversely through the mentioned handle tube II a short distance below the rst-mentioned 4pivot pin I5 and in parallelism therewith.

The arrangement is such that when a fuse assembly including a fuse casing 33 containing a fuse, not shown, terminating in reduced ends 31 (one shown) with copper strand wires 38 connected to the fuse link connection 39 from which the fuse link portion or loop 29 extends, the latter may be connected to a switch binding post upon an elevated structure or pole by means of the fuse stick 1 thus far described. The tubular arm is adapted to suspend loop 29 thereon when the opposite end loop (not shown) or some other portion of the fuse link is connected to a portion on handle 8 spaced a distance below arm I9, not shown as being part of the invention. Thus, if channel member l1 is manually raised into the position indicated in broken lines at 4D in Figure l, it will be evident that plunger 25 will be withdrawn toward its innermost limit by rod 3l and `its pivot member 34 mounted on pivot pin 35,

because pivot pin 35 is located a distance below pivot pin I of the channel member and does not coincide therewith. The result is that latch pin 30 is withdrawn to the position indicated at 4I in broken lines, leaving a considerable gap between the same and ilange 2U, which readily allows the upper smaller arcuate end 28 of fuse link 2,9 to be.insertedtherebetween When the fuse link loop 29 is thus pendently located between lug 25 and flange 20, channel member I1 is allowed to drop its normal pendent vertical position, as shown in full lines in Figure l, when rod 3l will push plunger 26 and its lug 25 toward flange 20, closing the gap between latch pin 39 and the flange and thus imprisoning the upper small loop portion 28 of fuse link loop 22 beneath the mentioned pin. If then the handle 8 is grasped and the entire stick 1 raised with fuse link loop 29 depending with the fuse assembly including wires 38 and fuse tube 36 with its reduced end 31 depending from the arm I9 on the stick, the fuse link loop 29 may be brought up into proper position upon the switch or other connection to which it is intended to be connected. When the link loop 29 has been properly installed, lowering of the handle 8 with consequent lowering of the upper tubular portion II thereof will cause latch pin 30 to act for the moment as though pivoted upon the upper small loop portion 28 of link loop 29, rocking channel member I1 into the position indicated in broken lines at 40 already referred to. The immediate result is that latch pin 30 is brought into the spaced position indicated in broken lines at 4 I, allowing the arm I9 and its appurtenances to drop away from fuse link loop 29, which automatically leaves the fuse link in place as installed and releases the fuse link stick 3 and allows channel member I1 with its arm I9 to drop back into the full line position wholly out oi contact with the fuse link.

As already intimated, it is self-evident that the fuse link is provided at its lower end with a loop portion corresponding to the upper loop portion 29, and that the main handle or staff 8 of the fuse stick may be provided at an intermediate point with a more or less conventional side arm or projection (not shown) for engaging another portion or the lower loop portion of the fuse link when the upper loop portion 29 is engaged upon arm I9. Such conventional arms or projections, for example, are shown in the patents of C. A. Fox, No. 2,102,894, dated December 2l, 1937, and of D. C. Hubbard, No. 2,438,121, dated March 23, 1948, but any other form of flexing, pivoted or resiliently-urged sliding arm suitable for the purpose may obviously be used, the invention not being directed thereto but to the upper structure described above.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A fuse link stick of the type adapted to engage with an upper end loop upon a fuse link and with another portion of the latter spaced ya distance below the upper end loop, said fuse link stick including an elongated handle, a pendent member pivotally connected at the upper end thereof to the upper end of the handle, a linksupporting arm projecting outwardly from the pendent member a predetermined distance below the upper pivoted portion of the latter substantially at right angles theretoior engaging with said upper end loop of said fuse link, a stop upon the outer end of the arm, a latch member slidably mounted on the latter with an outwardlyprojecting latch portion directed toward the stop and adapted to approach and recede from said stop according to the movement of the latch 5 pivotally connected to said handle a predetermined distance below the pivotal mounting of said pendent member.

2. A fuse link stick of the type adapted to engage with an upper end loop upon a fuse link and with another portion of the latter spaced a distance below the upper end loop, said fuse link stick including an elongated handle, a pivot pin extending transversely through the upper end of the handle, a channel member pivoted at the upper ends of the sides thereof to the ends of the pivot pin allowing the channel member to swing pendently about a transverse axis, a tubular arm adapted to support the upper end loop portion of the fuse link fixed on the upper intermediate portion of the channel member a predetermined distance below and intermediate the pivoted portions thereof and extending prependicularly outwardly from the tubular arm, the latter terminating at the outer end in a iiange and having an elongated and upwardly-open slot within the flange, a, latch member slidably mounted in said tubular arm, a lug extending upwardly through the elongated slot from the latch member, a latch portion projecting rigidly outwardly from the upper portion of said lug toward the flange and spaced above said tubular arm a suicient distance above the arm to receive said upper end loop portion of the fuse link therebetween, a second pivot pin upon said handle disposed a predetermined distance below the rst-mentioned pivot pin, and a rod rigidly connected at one end to said latch member and having a portion at the other end thereof pivotally mounted upon said second pivot pin.

3. A fuse link stick of the type adapted to engage With an upper end loop upon a fuse link and with another portion of the latter spaced a distance below the upper end loop, said fuse link stick including an elongated handle, a hollow portion upon the upper end of the handle, a pivot pin extending transversely through the upper hollow end of the handle, a channel member pivoted at the upper ends of the sides thereof to the ends of the pivot pin allowing the channel member to swing pendently about a transverse axis, a tubular arm adapted to support the upper end loop portion on the fuse link fixed on the upper intermediate portion of the channel member a predetermined distance below and intermediate the pivoted portions thereof and extending perpendicularly outwardly from the tubular arm, the latter terminating at the outer end in a flange and having an elongated and upwardlyopen slot within the ange, a latch member slidably mounted in said tubular arm, a lug extending upwardly through the elongated slot from the latch member, a, latch pin projecting rigidly outwardly from the upper portion of said lug toward the ange and spaced above said tubular arm a suiflcient distance to receive said upper end loop portion of the fuse link between the 4arm and the latch pin, a, second pivot pin Within the hollow portion of the handle and disposed a predetermined distance below and parallel to the firstmentioned pivot pin, and a rod rigidly connected at one end to said latch member with a pivot portion upon the other end of said rod pivotally mounted upon the second pivot pin within the hollow portion of said handle, the latter having a slot in said hollow portion thereof through which said rod extends.

HELMER C. HALVORSON.

No references cited. 

